College Information

Mission Statement“To provide lifelong learning opportunities for the people of the South West region and beyond through quality education and training in support of economic, social and community development”

Our Values

Excellence - be the best we can

Innovation - improvement and new approach

Teamwork - together we can do better

Integrity - delivering on what we promise

Confidence - having a positive attitude

About South West College and the region
South West College is at the heart of the communities of Tyrone and Fermanagh. These two counties and their people have a long and proud history of both national and international interaction. The College is physically represented at campuses in Cookstown, Dungannon, Enniskillen and Omagh. The College employs over 500 full time and part time staff servicing some 14,000 enrolments with a turnover of £40m and makes a major contribution to the local and regional
economy.

SWC more than just a College!
South West College recognises that learning is changing therefore in this academic year new curriculum offers will involve both face to face teaching supported by e-learning and e-services where appropriate. SWC believes this innovation is essential for the development of a coherent and relevant offer to the student population. The Physical College is still the core of the institution, with its emphasis on access for all too high quality teaching, learning and support for students. This focus on the student, their wellbeing, their performance and personal development remains at the core of the South West College.

The Virtual Programme
The Virtual College, which will become more relevant in 2013 - 2015, is the outworking’s and potential for commercialisation of the existing College Virtualisation Project. The Virtual College has a separate “digital presence” and will offer a pure e-learning experience to a new range of learners both nationally and internationally. SWC does do not underestimate the technological challenges associated with this new initiative but research indicates that this mode of learning will grow substantially in the next decade and provide a new body of learners whose interface with the College
will be at a distance.

Innovation Centres
Since 2007 the newly formed South West College has been active in providing a leadership role in its innovation and development work supporting industry, curriculum development and internship for students through its InnoTech Centre in Cookstown. As the College develops there is a need to create “business focused innovation centres” at our campuses to assist in our next phase of development. The College has a vision that these innovation and development centres, under the leadership of InnoTech, will ensure that our engagement with industry is relevant and focused and that our curriculum is fit for purpose. Click onto the Innovation Centres tab to find out more.

The Entrepreneurship Academy
This is a new concept being implemented across SWC, based again on good education and industry practice. The academy model is used in many Universities and Colleges to create a focus on relevant “intrapreneurship” and “entrepreneurship” activities. The academy will from good practice models, initially assist in establishing an entrepreneurship vision for the College and then subsequently develop relevant programmes with impact using both internal and external resources to create, develop and embed an entrepreneurial “spirit and ethos” for teaching, service staff and students.

Going International
The concept of globalisation, technical innovation and the internationalisation of travel means that it is possible for a College to now offer its services outside its region. Therefore SWC will over the next three years build capacity to create a body of work outside this region. The College also has a key role in supporting the regional agenda for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and looks forward to this exciting phase of development.